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In the story of Les Miserables we have a very powerful illustration of the theology of law vs. Gospel. (As a side note, the law is not always opposed to the Gospel; God’s law serves the process of redemption. But when its purpose is not understood it is forced to stand in conflict against the Gospel. ) In Jean Valjean we see a man redeemed by grace, a man who understands God’s mercy. He understands the gift God h...

I’m not particularly distressed about the commercialization, or secularization of Christmas. I’m concerned about a much more insidious problem – the American Santa Claus myth. What makes dealing with this particular problem difficult is that there is so much societal pressure to have our kids believe in Santa Claus. I don’t really want to have to make a stand against Santa Claus. And I don’t wan...

When I was a teenager I thought I was a relatively mature and upstanding young man (I probably was, relative being the key word). Over the years I have grown more aware of my shortcomings and do not think of myself as highly as I once did. And to be honest I’m rather embarrassed of my younger self. I’m sure my character flaws are still more apparent to others than they are to myself, yet I do imagine that I have ...

As I said a few posts ago, Christianity is offensive. However if you are offended by Christianity why be concerned? Christianity is for losers. It is understandable that people are offended by the message of Jesus – the religious people of his day certainly were – but why should anyone really care about what Jesus said if they conclude that he was a fool? I myself feel a little uncomfortable when a raving fundame...

I did nothing to officially observe Lent this year even though we now go to a church that has Lenten specific services. But, having a new baby makes it difficult to do a whole lot of anything. Still, I thought Lent would be a good time of year to write something on the subject of sanctification.

As a side note I’m not exactly sure why we...

In a couple of my most recent posts concerning manliness I’ve stated that shaming is not an effective way to motivate men to “act like men”. I’m going to say a little more about that in this post.

I recently read a book by Richard Weissbourd entitled “The Parents We Mean to Be: How Well-Intentioned Adults Undermin...

This post is a follow up to my last two posts.

I just happened to see this clip on youtube of Francis Chan admonishing men to act like men, which got me thinking. www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAe5ULE8n_4

Then I saw this clip of Mark Dris...

(This is a follow up to my last post: Is Gandhi in Hell?)

Jesus' name and image have often been hijacked to promote and teach a wide range of beliefs that either have nothing to do with him, or are actually diametrically opposed to him. His good news has been twisted and frequently changed ...

(This is the sermon I gave tonight at our Christmas eve service.)

     This past month during our Sunday night service we have been celebratin...